Wash. Arsenic Tests Show Geoducks Safe To Eat

Washington state health officials say its own arsenic testing has confirmed that geoducks harvested from a Puget Sound bay are safe to eat and don’t pose a health concern.

Officials say they’re hoping the test results will help persuade China to lift a ban it imposed last month on the import of clams, oysters, mussels and scallops harvested from Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Northern California.

The ban was based in part on a geoduck shipment traced to Poverty Bay, near Federal Way, that tested above China’s standard for inorganic arsenic.

Washington Secretary of Health John Wiesman said Tuesday that they’ve forwarded the results to state and federal partners, who are working with the Chinese government to reopen the shellfish trade.

State officials say test results on the edible parts of geoducks harvested from Poverty Bay show the arsenic levels were below China’s standard.